The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster by Bobby Henderson: It all began with a letter to the Kansas school board. The basic idea behind the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is that religion should not be taught in science class. Intelligent Design Theory, which posits that an intelligent designer (not explicitly stated as God, but it is implied) is responsible for the way life and most other things have developed over time. Since the existence of such a designer can be neither proved nor disproved, it is not a valid hypothesis, but this doesn’t stop the ID advocates. Henderson’s argument is that if we’re going to give students “choices” and “teach the controversy,” they should also include the theory of FSMism, which has “scientific” explanations for everything from gravity to global warming, all of which is just as scientifically valid as ID. It also encourages carbohydrate consumption and non-murderous piracy. The whole thing is utterly ridiculous, of course, but that’s the whole point. If you are at all sensitive about religion, this is not the book for you. I got a couple giggles out of it, but most of the funniest material is already on the FSM website. Now only one question remains: have you been touched by His Noodly Appendage?